Well it's official, 30 years ago I graced the world with my presence.
You're welcome world.
All kidding aside, I have so much to be thankful for and am grateful for every new day. I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the most important lessons I've learned over the years regarding strength training, movement, and life. When I sat down and made this list I thought it would be difficult, but I actually had a tough time keeping the it to 30!
1. Master the basics first and do them forever. Everyone seems to be in a rush to get to the coolest, most advanced training and nutrition protocols. Movements like squatting, hinging, pulling and pushing should always form the cornerstone of your training program.
2. Perfect practice makes perfect. Half reps and half-assed nutrition won't get you any closer to your goals.
3. If you're not assessing you're guessing. How can you get to point B if you don't know what point A is? You should constantly be assessing to gauge progress and set new goals.
4. 90% of your problems can be solved with hard work and a positive attitude.
5. Stop looking for a fitness solution to a medical problem. If you are injured (there is a difference between hurt and injured), seek out the help of a clinician.
6. Avoid frequently training to failure. Training to failure has its place, but 5 clean reps are better than 8 ugly reps.
7. Stop with the sit ups already! Train the core to resist motion.
8. Time your carbohydrate intake around your training. On training days the majority of your carbohydrate intake should be around workout time. Limit carbohydrate intake on non-training days.
9. Strength builds character. I learned some of my most valuable lessons in the weight room. Overcoming fear and testing your limits will make you a better person inside and out.
10. Corrective exercise in the traditional sense is overrated. We should be trying to correct movements with movement rather than focusing on what muscle group isn't working properly.
11. You can't run to get a runner's body. You need a runner's body to run. Running is a high level activity, yet the first thing most people do to get fit is embark on a distance running program. Most are nowhere near qualified to run to their mailbox much less run a 5k. Clean up your diet and build tissue tolerance through strength training first.
12. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
13. Don't forget to rotate your lifts. Back squatting and bench pressing for months on end will make you strong, but can also lead to an overuse injury. I learned this one the hard way. Change the bar placement, angle, or grip every few months and your joints will thank you.
14. Don't subscribe to just one form of conditioning. HIIT, speed work, and long duration cardio all have different benefits and are part of a well rounded conditioning program. You can prioritize one or two over the others depending on your goals, but don't completely ditch any of them.
15. Never stretch just for stretching's sake. Flexibility should be approached on a case by case basis. If someone already has an extreme amount of laxity (looseness) in a particular joint, why would you continue to stretch it? This does way more harm than good. Yet another reason why assessment is so important. Eric Cressey had an excellent post a while back about this topic. Check it out here.
That's it for part 1. Check back soon for part 2.
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